The East Coast Eater: New Brunswicker shares his love of local eats

Alex Kwok shares New Brunswick's culinary scene through his social media channel: The East Coast Eater. (Source: TikTok)

Alex Kwok has his plate full: taking a bite out of New Brunswick’s local culinary scene.

“New Brunswick as a whole has a lot of amazing places to eat, and no one’s covering them,” Kwok tells CTV News Atlantic.

Kwok is best known online as The East Coast Eater. Since 2020, the New Brunswicker has been creating upbeat videos and posting them online. Most feature him and his wife, Michelle, trying local restaurants, pubs and cafes.

“It was another idea born out of COVID,” explains Kwok. “We don’t normally go to cities or places to see the museums. Like, we love learning about the history and the culture, but I think we learn a lot more through the food that we experience, and we always kind of tie a lot of memories to that.”

Kwok, who doesn’t work in the culinary scene, said he wanted to start his own video diary of his food experiences, filming on his smartphone and sharing it with others who had common interests. His videos caught on. Five years and some editing upgrades later, he has a strong following: Over 13,000 followers on Instagram (including N.B. Premier Susan Holt) and 28,000 on TikTok.

“It’s been a really cool experience. I find that the people that follow are locals, and they’re people who care about local restaurants, and supporting those local businesses. And so, I find that even though it’s not a huge count, the engagement is wildly disproportionate to that of maybe some other accounts, and I credit that to the restaurants. I credit that to people who really care about New Brunswick businesses.”

While primarily based in Fredericton and Saint John, Kwok films videos across the province. He visits restaurants, market vendors, food trucks and more. He often records himself finding the business, ordering and chatting with the owners, before filming the food and his reaction to the first bite. It could be a sit-down experience, out on a patio, or from a takeout container inside his car.

“I like focusing on the things that bring nostalgia, memories and comfort to me,” says Kwok. “And that’s why my coverage is everything from smashed burgers to six course Wagyu tasting menus. Everything has its own kind of story that needs to be told, and it also brings its own versions of comfort that we’ve all experienced to different points. And I think that’s really what I end up loving showcasing.”

Big bump in business

One of Kwok’s most viewed videos features Boulangerie Seoul, a bakery and cafe in the Silverwood-area of Fredericton. It was published in February 2024, and shows Kwok ordering egg tarts, a bombolone and a cookie. In the video, Kwok tears up on camera, saying “this reminds me of egg tarts in Macau, wow, I’m getting a little emotional.”

“Alex’s video had an incredible impact on our bakery for about three weeks after he visited,” says Seulah Jang, the owner of Boulangerie Seoul. “Literally, everything in the shop was selling out, every single day. It was such a happy, overwhelming experience.”

The bakery, which opened in 2023, serves French pastries with Korean aesthetics. Jang, who owns the café with her husband, Seungho Kim, says their business has tripled in the past year, resulting in the hiring of two more staff members.

“We don’t have big marketing budgets or fancy campaigns, but someone like Alex shines a light on what we do,” adds Jang. “One year later, we still have people from across Atlantic Canada coming into our business saying they came because of that video.”

Jang also attributes Kwok’s genuine video as part of the reason for its popularity.

“I think that authenticity makes all the difference,” says Jang. “He came because he loved our food. I think that honesty is what made his video connect with people, that’s what brought them through our doors.”

Authenticity is also one of the ‘main things’ Kwok looks for while dining.

“Something that has culture and heart baked into the menu and into the presentation,” adds Kwok. “I actually don’t necessarily care if it’s a fancy place or not, but I do care that there is that love and care and time put into a menu.”

Taste trip

It’s that taste of home that hit Kwok in the heart-and stomach, after eating at Boulangerie Seoul.

“I grew up in Ontario, and I’m a Chinese background,” says Kwok. “Food is such a big part of Chinese culture. I have such strong memories associated with certain flavours that I just didn’t necessarily get to experience as much in New Brunswick. And that’s no fault of anyone, but I just hadn’t seen a lot of that flavour profile out here. So, when I took that first bite of the egg tart, I just had this very nostalgic, sentimental attachment to it. All these memories of childhood dim sum experiences – all that flooded into my head. And it just made me emotional because it’s reminding me of family. It’s reminding me of my culture, my upbringing, my background and just being able to experience that was a gift they were able to give me.”

As for what he’s ordering next, Kwok is planning on putting the focus on summer seafood.

“That’s a big thing that I haven’t really done a whole lot on my channel, and I know it’s a New Brunswick staple,” he says. “There’re so many fun opportunities that we’ve had just because of the channel. I feel really blessed and honoured to be able to represent New Brunswick in that way.”

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